By Nigel Maxwell

Local producers encourage ‘buy local’ on Food Day Canada

Aug 4, 2018 | 8:00 AM

This Saturday has been proclaimed Food Day Canada, a day to showcase Canadian food and celebrate the businesses and producers who provide our food to us.

Local producers in the Prince Albert area are hoping people come out to try locally grown products. Farmers Market President Bob Gill said he enjoys his conversations with people who come to the market to buy groceries.

“There’s always interest from people looking into the background of products, where they come from and where do the people live,” he said.

Gill said the farmers market had a bit of a slow start this year, but he adds sales have picked up and they have new vendors this year, including some organics producers. He said the market offers a unique opportunity for people to talk to local growers.

“It’s not about just picking up groceries or whatever, there’s people who go down there every week just to socialize with the other people, like they’ll spend an hour or two just visiting,” he said.

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Curtis Braaten runs Haskap Central Sales near Henribourg. He said he too enjoys talking with clients and added he has had a lot more visits from families.

“The trend is that more and more people are looking into where their food comes from, as far as meeting the grower who grows it and establishing a relationship” he said.

Moving forward Braaten said he would love to start a large U-Pick garden, with the goal of getting the younger generation (five and six year olds) more involved.

“Let them realise where the food comes from and the importance of good nutrition. We always forget to mention the nutrition part of food most times and I think that’s one of the problems we have in term of our current population’s health,”  he said.

As part of Food Day Canada, people who have Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram are encouraged to take pictures of the food they eat on Saturday, and add the hashtags #FoodDayCanada or #CanadaIsFood to their posts.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell